reading the books, and finding out secrets
by mandaree1
Summary: reading the books, it sounds so simple, doesn't it? but it's not simple, what will happen when Hogwarts finds out that there's not only a boy who lived, but a girl as well? and that the girl ha been living in Hogwarts, fighting with the trio, and even falling in love, without anyone but harry and Dumbledore ever knowing? chaos at it's finest. i don't own Harry potter, just my O.C.
1. the boy and girl who lived

"Everyone to the grand hall!" was the morning announcement from the toad Umbridge. Harry (Samantha's half-brother) and Samantha walked next to Ron and Hermione, sticking close in the back ground. Samantha had way too much to hide to be in the center, that's harry's job, no matter how much he hated it.

"We have finally figured out a way to show that Potter is a liar" Umbridge said "we are reading the books of his life."

Samantha leaned over and whispered "I didn't know we had books about us, did you?"

Harry frowned, and muttered back "if I did I would have told you."

'**Chapter 1'** read Umbridge **the Boy and girl who lived.**

"Girl" Snape muttered to Mcgonagall "there's a girl who lived?" she shrugged, knowing no more than he did

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number 4, pivot drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

"Where's the fun in that?" George asked, looking as aghast as Fred

"There's none!" he sobbed "the horror!"

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

Moody, with his constant vilgance as usual and magic eye, noticed a small snort coming from a girl near Potter, and wondered if this was the 'girl who lived.'

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache.** **Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.**

"What a couple" Hermione muttered, making Ron snort.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

Samantha gave a snort, making Hermione admonish "Samantha! Be nice about your cousin!" she didn't say this loud enough for the others to hear though, no one knew except them that harry had a sister, she had her reasons for hiding, something she never told them about, but they still helped hide it anyway.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it."**

"There murders!" George yelled, just in time for Fred to yell

"There sons a pig!"

Remembering what harry used to say about Dudley, Samantha laughed heartily, which went unnoticed because everyone else was laughing too.

**They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.**

"What's wrong with the potters!?" the Gryffindor table yelled.

'Of course' Snape sneered 'petunia was always jealous of Lily.'

Unknown to him, Samantha (who knew olcumancy) read his mind and sighed, Snape was too hung up of her mum for his own good, even if he did love her.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.**

The ravenclaws looked horrified by the misuse of the English language, while Harry sighed and looked thoughtful 'they actually have working minds?' he thought to himself 'scary.'

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street.**

"I thought you lived with them?" Colin creevily asked

"I do" harry replied

"I thought it said it hated the potters though" he continued

"It did" harry replied simply.

This caused quite a few to frown.

**The Dursleys knew that the Potters had two small children, too, but they had never even seen them. Those children were another good reason keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with children like that.**

"Children like what?" Ron asked, looking personally offended.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,** **and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

Madam Pomfrey frowned 'what a horrid child. I'm glad harry doesn't act like that.'

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

Mcgongall gave a look that is any Gryffindor's tried that she'd kill them.

"**Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley**

"Little?" Fred choked, turning to harry

"Is he blind?" George asked

"To his little Dudley he is" Samantha muttered, and the twins snickered.

**As he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map.**

Samantha and harry looked at Mcgongall and smiled, she really is an awesome head of house. Samantha looked away though, making her frown.

Samantha was deep in her own fears. When they found that she was disfigured (will be explained) how would the others react? Will they hate her, or even be disgusted?

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of?**

**It must have been a trick of the light.**

"Fool" Malfoy muttered, and silently Samantha and harry agreed.

**Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, ****_looking _****at the sign; cats couldn't read maps ****_or _****signs.**

"Unless you're Mcgongall" Samantha smiled "that's the exception."

"Samantha" Mcgongall warned, noticing the playful glint in the twins eyes "don't give them any ideas."

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.**

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together.**

**Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him!**

"How horrible!" George cried

"Disgusting!" fred yelled

"Heathens!" Lee joined.

**But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it.**

"He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, is he?" Malfory snickered

"I agree" Samantha mumbled to harry "two things in one day, Merlin save me."

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

"At least he straight minded" Neville muttered softly.

Samantha slowly put her hand to the right side of her face, which was covered in burn marks (no one except harry knew that of course) and gave a sad smile, they didn't know how determined he could be.

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. ****_He _****didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime.**

"They've never seen an _owl_?"

**Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people.**

"How…. Lovely" Molly muttered to Arthur, watching harry. They hadn't known that harry lived with people like this and wondered how he turned out to be the wonderful gentleman he was.

Unbeknownst to them, Samantha was watching them with acute interest. Whenever harry went over to the weasley's she stayed with the gnomes in the back yard, hidden from view, so she wanted to know if they were good people for harry to be around.

** He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.**

"Does he ever stop shouting?" Hermione asked, aspirated. She really didn't like these muggles, and wanted to know how Harry could live with them without something bad happening. Samantha shook her head and whispered to harry

"They never will."

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road –**

Fred was glancing fearfully at the ceilings of Hogwarts, watching for something in the sky

"What's wrong?" George asked

"I'm waiting for the fire" Fred replied "because surely it will start raining fire soon."

This made everyone laugh, with Remus and Sirius being the loudest.

**- To buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"Oh, thank Merlin!" George cried "crisis averted people, the world will not end!"

This made Samantha snicker slightly, but otherwise everyone burst out laughing.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin.**

Moody (who had decided to watch the girl whom he'd noticed earlier) saw her mumble "gee, I wonder why, bloody git" to Harry. And gave a small smile

**It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard yes, their children, harry and Samantha"**

"Samantha?" Remus muttered, looking at the girl herself. She was a good friend of harry's from what he could tell, but he didn't know that he had a sister.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"He's not that fat yet" Harry muttered, to the humor of his sister.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, **

"I've never heard of him working out so much" Samantha muttered

Hermione smiled, even though she was still uneasy. She was worried about harry's home life, the one thing he never talked about.

**- snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name.**

"If only" Samantha muttered, looking at harry with pity.

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had children called Harry and Samantha. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure that was their names.**

"He didn't even know your name!?" Ron yelled

Harry gave a smile to reassure him as he said "they do now."

**He'd never even seen them. It might have been Harvey and Sara, or Harold and Bella. (****A/N: couldn't think of another s name)**

Samantha snorted, she'd change her name if it was Sara or Bella, and neither Harvey nor Harold fit harry like his name did.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that...**

Samantha noticed that Snape was one of the many who growled at this, and smiled, there might be hope for her father yet.

**But all the same, those people in cloaks... He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

**"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.**

"I had no clue he knew manners" harry said, surprised

"Neither did I" Ron mumbled, having met Uncle Vernon at the end of first year.

**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice**

"Professor, is that you?" Samantha asked, looking at Flitwick carefully.

He just shrugged, but she spotted his blush.

- **That made passersby stare,**

**"Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

Samantha slapped her head and groaned, way to make it public. Everyone in school now stared at harry in half-pity and half-fear, worried he may strike out.

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"I'm surprised I could even get to his middle," Flitwick mumbled, making Minerva and Albus to arch an eyebrow in return.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

Hermione stared at Harry in shock.

"What?" he asked, feeling self conscious

"How can they not approve of imagination, with how…. Vivid…. Yours is?" she asked

Harry shrugged "I'll never be like my uncle" he told her firmly.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"Definitely Mcgonagall" many people whispered, staring at her with interest.

**"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

Samantha smirked, that'd never work.

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

Many shivered having been under that look before.

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered.**

"Hell no" Samantha replied, smirking

**Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife. Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had earned a new word ("Won't!").**

"Spoilt brat," Molly whispered to her husband, who could only nod at his wife.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

**"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin."Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Goingto be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

**"Well, Ted," said the weatherman,**

Tonks looked up at this, having been listening to the story with her head down, before mouthing 'Dad?' in confusion, surprise etched onto her face.

**"I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

Samantha shook her head, and harry called her a crazy psycho. Those people were party animals!

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...**

"Damn" Samantha muttered "he actually figured that out."

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously.**

**"Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?" As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

Samantha frowned, they really were too jealous for their own good.

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..."**

**"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

**"Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd."**

"Her crowd?" Harry muttered, these people were too paranoid for her own good.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could,**

**"Their kids- they'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't they?"**

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

**"What are there names again? Howard and Amelia, isn't it?"**

**"Harry and Samantha. Nasty, common names, if you ask me."**

"They are not" Ron muttered. Samantha was a good friend of his; she was the only female in Gryffindor that took the remaining bed in the boy's dorm because there wasn't enough space for her to be in there. The guys all thought of her as a great friend and sister.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree." He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

Everyone was confused, but didn't ask, they figured it'd be mentioned soon.

**Was he imagining things?**

"Thought you didn't approve of imagination, old fart!" The twins shouted, laughter ringing out in the hall.

**Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it. The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them...**

"You've jinxed it, muggle." A slytherin mumbled.

**How very wrong he was.**

"See!"

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt.**

"Dumbledore!" Many people shouted, with the older wizard chucking at the response.

**He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots.**

Samantha shook her head, those boots were disgusting.

**His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.**

Here, Dumbledore stopped and looked at the students before saying, "Of course I realized it. I just didn't pay any attention to it."

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

Once again, Dumbledore chuckled before looking over at the Headmistress and whispering to her, "How I didn't is quite shocking, really." After, Minerva blushed, which made everyone curious as to what the older wizard had said.

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

Samantha looked interested, but she knew it was something she probably couldn't use.

**He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"He fancies you, Professor!" The twins shout, laughter following their statement when McGonagall blushes/

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

Sirius raised an eyebrow; he'd never seen her ruffled before.

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

Many chuckled at this.

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. "Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently.**

**"You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

People laughed, some cried, depending on how you were looking at.

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"Never a truer word said" Samantha mumbled, she'd read extensively on the war, and knew how costly it was.

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

Samantha growled, talk about just _trying_ to be found out, hello people!

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day YouKnow-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

"No" Samantha muttered to harry "not even close."

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

**"A what?"**

**"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of"**

The purebloods that had been staring confused were now shaking their heads as a 'oh, that's it.'

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."**

Samantha used her invisibility chocker (inheritance from lily) and once she was completely invisible she bellowed "VOLDEMORT!"

Everyone jumped a mile high, except for harry, Dumbledore, and Moody.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

"Because you were the one who brought him to Hogwarts" Samantha mumbled "you saw the past good in him, and remember that good, not the evil."

**"I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."**

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"Only because you're too noble to use them!" Hermione muttered with the table overhearing her.

**"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."**

"You're just like McGonagall, Hermione!" The twins shout, making Hermione blush. However, Harry can't help but think about how much Hermione is like his mother. When he looks over at Remus and Siruis and sees a grin on their faces, he knows they think the same thing.

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

"We didn't need to know that!" Hogwarts shouted as one, and many laughed seeing Madam Pomfrey's blush.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

"Our mum stopped him" Harry mumbled to Samantha "by placing the blood wards, we just got crossed in the process."

Samantha wanted to tell him that he was right, but she didn't want to be noticed by any of the teachers.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now.**

"She does have quite the stare" Samantha commented, and lee and the twins heard.

"You're telling us!" they cried as one

**It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead. "**

Samantha risked exposure by joining the hug that Sirius, the weasley's, and Hermione had started.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

**"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it...Oh, Albus..."**

Harry wished harder than ever that Umbridge would decide to stop reading the books and just take him back to the daily torture of the blood quill, it was much better than this.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But – he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone. Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

"See" Umbridge Said pompously "he _is _dead."

Harry shrugged his shoulders, and decided not to argue. They would know eventually anyway.

Samantha frowned, wondering why Dumbledore didn't mention her in the conversations, but didn't ask.

**"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

Everyone inched closer (except Harry and Samantha) wanting to know why.

**"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

Everyone slumped back, disappointed. Harry was glad that Dumbledore didn't tell her the truth, it was something he didn't want anyone to know.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said,**

**"Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

Everyone (besides the obvious) froze, Harry lived with _those _muggles, how did he survive?

**"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four.**

**"Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

Samantha and harry frowned, confused. What letter?

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous – a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"**

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! You see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

Samantha frowned, he didn't even know he was famous until he was 12, talk about adjusting.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

**"You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"We would trust hagrid with our lives" the trio said proudly, and moody saw the girl nod in agreement.

**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

Umbridge sniffed, how could _anyone_ trust those barbaric halfbreeds?

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky – and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild – long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

Most of the women cooed, while Harry blushed.

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

Sirius puffed out his chest, happy that he was about to be mentioned.

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

Molly smiled at the image; harry sounded adorable as a child.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

**"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

Harry frowned, he hated that scar. When people turned to stare, he quickly covered it the best he could with his hair. Snape blanched, that was such a non-potter thing to do.

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.**

'That's a pretty intricate scar, Dumbledore' Samantha thought

**Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with." Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

**"Could I - could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

Sirius smirked, as did remus.

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it.**

**"But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"**

Harry smiled, happy that someone cared.

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found,"**

Many students snickered, thinking of how they had the same thought.

**Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

Many shivered, that was a horrid thought.

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**She transformed and slunk down the alleys. Dumbledore slowly walked over to the bushes and pulled out a small baby girl wrapped in blankets**

Many looked surprised, wondering who the girl was.

**She had a small lighter in hand, and was squealing slightly as she played with it.**

Molly gasped, how could Albus put a _lighter _near a child!

**A small flame flickered, and then formed into a tiny ball, as the girl clutched it in her hand, showing no signs of burns or of pain.**

That made many stop, why wasn't it hurting her? Samantha smiled, and grabbed the lighter in her pocket, lighting it up to make a fire bracelet out of pure boredom and no one (not even Mad-eye) noticed.

**Dumbledore chuckled "it seems I was correct on the fact that you are different little one. You beat to a different drum is a well known saying for such things. I know it is dangerous for you to be known to the community, its better you're hidden, the girl who lived."**

**He placed the girl next to Harry, and she swung her small arm to the side to hug him closer, the fire vanished as the lighter closed shut in her hand.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and He could just see the two bundles of blankets on the step of number four.**

Everyone gasped, they had no clue there was a girl who lived and a boy who lived, but it seemed so. They looked around the hall, wanting to know who it was.

**"Good luck, Harry, Samantha" he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

"We needed it" Harry mumbled, making Sirius and Remus glance at him with worry.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry and Samantha potter rolled over inside there blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him, while the other a lighter and they slept on, not knowing they were special, not knowing they were famous, not knowing they would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that they would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley...'**

"More like the next few years" Harry muttered

**They couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"**

**"Who wants to read?" Albus asked**

"I will!" the twins called, before even Hermione could raise her hand, and that was saying something.

**'chapter 2' **they read '**the vanishing glass.'**


	2. the vanishing glass

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their niece and nephew on the front step, **the twins started, and harry and Samantha both braced themselves for all that everyone was going to find out.

**, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed.**

**Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets –**

Many snickered, while Samantha outright laughed.

**But Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother.**

'Social suicide' many thought 'no wonder the kids a brat.'

**The room held no sign at all that other children lived in the house, too.**

"Why not?" Remus asked, getting a bad feeling in his gut. Harry quickly made up an excuse

"We never liked having our pictures taken."

Snape sneered, Potter would never _not _love his fame, he was just like his father.

**Yet Harry and Samantha Potter were still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

Snape winced, and almost felt sorry for the brat, almost.

**"Up! Get up! Now!" Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

"Give him a minute!" Ginny huffed, glaring at the book, and Samantha smiled, if they didn't get together she was going to be very shocked.

**"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back, while Samantha rolled onto his chest, still out cold**

Many cooed at the thought, especially girls, while Samantha blushed dark red, that, was defiantly going to ruin her reputation

** And tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it.**

Sirius puffed out his chest again, glad that Harry remembered his motorcycle.

**He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before, and vaguely remembered that Samantha had once said she had a dream about watching a flying motorcycle. His aunt was back outside the door.**

"Give him a break!" Ginny yelled, outraged at Harry's rude awakening.

The twins shared a look with Ron, and they complained about their Mother waking them up.

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

**"Nearly," said Harry.**

**"Almost" Samantha mumbled, not even cracking open an eye.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." Harry groaned while Samantha grumbled, knowing that she'd have to stay outside all day on his birthday after breakfast.**

"Outside?" Molly asked, she was starting to get attached to this Samantha girl, and really liked her.

Harry and Samantha shared looks; they both knew that she couldn't stay in the house because she wouldn't let them take her lighter away.

"Never mind that, they made you cook?" Hermione shouted, looking more than a little outraged.

"I like to cook" harry quickly explained "its fun."

'That's not what she asked, mate" Ron interjected "when did you start cooking?"

Harry looked at the table and muttered "I don't know, around the time I could reach over the stove with a stool I suppose."

Many shouted, and after many explosions from Dumbledore's wand, they finally calmed down enough to continue.

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

**"Nothing, nothing..." Dudley's birthday - how could they have forgotten?**

"We tried our hardest too" Samantha muttered, and Mad-eye caught her saying his. 'So she is the girl who lived' he thought 'interesting.'

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks, making sure to face the door while Samantha put on her shirt and baggy pants (for she only wore light shorts and an undershirt to bed). He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on, throwing the other pair to Samantha.**

Ron shuddered, and wondered why they didn't mind the spiders

**Harry and Samantha were used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs were full of them,**

"What does that have to do with anything?" Molly asked, and Samantha winced, this wasn't going to go well

**And that was where they slept.**

The twins stopped reading to stare at the book in horror. Remus was snarling in anger at the Dursley's, while Sirius had stood up in attack form and was growling at the book, no doubt being exceptionally angry at the Dursley's. Hermione had moved to sit next to Harry and held his hand tightly, while Harry had been trying to hold Sirius back so he could seek comfort in his warmth. Samantha hid in the far back, making sure to go unnoticed.

Dumbledore was completely shocked, Minerva was furious and Snape was double shocked, not liking the parallels between the brat and himself.

Everyone else was sitting, their mouths opened in shocked, as they could never see that actually happening to _the_ Harry Potter. Some people, like Hannah Abbot, saw that this made Harry human, and not some celebrity, and felt pity for the guy, while others, like Malfoy, stared at the book in pure shock, not believing it

**When they were dressed they went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents.**

"Spoiled brat" echoed throughout the hall, and anyone who hadn't said it aloud was thinking it.

**It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to the siblings, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody.**

Many glared at the book, knowing what was coming next.

**Dudley's favorite punching bags were Harry and Samantha,**

Many growled, while some hissed.

- **But he couldn't often catch them. They didn't look it, but they were very fast. Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry and Samantha had always been small and skinny for their age.**

"Not all that's the cupboard, Pup" Sirius said, and harry smiled, happy to know more on his parents.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was, While Samantha took on uncle Vernon's clothes, cutting them up with scissors and trying them back so they almost fit her, but always looked like a mess**

"Did they ever buy you two anything?" Ron asked, and wasn't very surprised by the shake of the head no.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes, while Samantha had brown eyes and short black hair, with bangs covering one eye. This eye was blind, from one of the few times Uncle Vernon was physical for something.**

"Blind?" Ron asked, looking over at Samantha. He knew she wore bangs and brown eyes, so there was a good chance it was her, but he had no clue that she was blind in one eye.

**Harry wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose.**

Many growled, and wanted to know why Samantha was blind, and frustrated that there was no answer.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

"Mate, you used to like it?" Ron asked, in shock

Harry shrugged "I didn't know what it meant back then."

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.**

Everyone's temper flared, how could anyone lie to children like that?

**Samantha seriously doubted it was a car crash, because she believed that if a shard of glass had hit his head, he wouldn't be alive.**

People nodded, good, someone thought of this.

**"And don't ask questions." Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

The ravenclaws had never looked more scandalized until then.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair! Get away from our food!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

Many grimaced, it seemed that the dursley's didn't like Samantha much, even less than harry from what they'd read.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place. Uncle Vernon hated Samantha more than harry, so she spent most of her time outside, roaming the neighborhood.**

More growls, hisses, and snarls. Who forced someone outside all the time? Everyone needed sun, but that is too much!

**Harry was frying eggs and Samantha was making the toast by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel –**

Everyone snorted, something was obviously wrong with them.

**Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig, while Samantha used more colorful language to describe him, something that often got her smacked.**

Many laughed at this, but some (who'd listened all the way through the sentence) frowned, that girl seemed to go through a lot

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Samantha sat in the back of the room, careful not to meet anyone's eyes. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"I don't even get that much" Malfoy grumbled, disgusted that a mere muggle got more than him.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy." **

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over Samantha ate even faster than he did, careful to get as much as she could while leaving plenty for Harry.**

"Don't choke Harry!" Molly called

"Mrs. Weasley, this was years ago!" Harry replied.

Molly blushed, looked embarrassed.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right''**

"Is she really bargaining with him?" Hermione asked

"Yup" Harry replied

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..."**

A few Ravenclaws fainted at this, and Hermione looked close to doing so.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"Someone needs to get him glasses" Samantha muttered "he obviously has something wrong with his eyesight."

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

Professor Burbadge quickly wrote these down, and decided to have a class on them later.

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take them."**

"Them?' Hermione whispered, deadly silent "they have names, now use them."

Samantha privately pitied the Dursley's, they were going to be lucky to survive by the time this was done.

**She jerked her head in Harry's direction. Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap and Samantha looked up. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry and Samantha were left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned. Samantha was not a person who pitied often, so she just shrugged in response. Harry knew she liked Mrs. Figg, at least enough to think about her for a moment about her and the cats.**

Molly frowned, just what did that mean? Many seemed to have the same sentiment

**Many believed Samantha to be apathetic, but that wasn't the case. Samantha hated it when people cared for her; it hurt her more than anything else could. She hated it when people liked her, and she could give nothing in turn.**

Samantha nodded, harry hit the nail on the head on that.

Many frowned, a child should want to be loved, not push others away because of it.

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry and Samantha as though they'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again. Samantha just looked at harry, not particularly caring about either choice.**

Albus frowned, was this why she couldn't perform light magic? Is this why she is a grey magic user?

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates them."**

"Feelings mutual" Harry replied

"Is that the one you?" Ron asked, trying to hold in his laughter

"Yup" he replied, and watched as Ron fell over laughing, gaining many a strange look.

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry and Samantha like this, as though they weren't there - or rather, as though they were something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

Many growls rang through the hall, and harry groaned, hating the pitying looks on his back

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"**

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer, and Samantha could draw or join him). Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

**"Nice try Harry" Samantha muttered "but they aren't going to agree."**

**"I suppose we could take them to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave them in the car..."**

"Illegal!" Hermione screeched, glaring at the book.

**"That car's new, there not sitting in it alone..."**

**Samantha gave a small snort, and mumbled to harry "how can we be alone when there'd be two of us in one place?" Harry shrugged, he had no answer.**

Many nodded at the logic, while others laughed at how stupid Vernon was

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother give him anything he wanted.**

Malfoy grimaced at the muggle using a tactic he himself used, unsure if he felt angry for the muggle or for himself for being like the muggle.

**"Dinky Duddydums, -**

Here, the whole Hall laughed out loud at the nickname

-** don't cry, Mummy won't let them spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"When is it not a special day for him?" Samantha muttered, not even putting up the energy to glare**

Many frowned, was Samantha depressed?

**"I... don't... want... them... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "they always sp- spoil everything!"**

Samantha rolled her eyes; Dudley had never had anything ruined before because his parents practically worshiped him. Harry never had anything to ruin, it was all taken away, talk about unfair?

**He shot Harry and Samantha a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. Just then, the doorbell rang –**

**"Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat, whom happened to have a crush on Samantha due to the fact she never put up enough energy to fight back.**

Many frowned, a user if they'd ever heard of one.

**He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once. Peter smiled at Samantha and said "hello dearie" and reached for a kiss, something Samantha lazily dodged-**

There were many raised eyes; you can lazily dodge someone trying to kiss you?

**And Harry watched with slight irritation as Samantha was grabbed by hand by Peter and led to the car.**

Many faked-vomited, how could someone stand that?

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers, Dudley, and a bored Samantha, on the way to the zoo for the first time in there lifes. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with them, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry and Samantha aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, while Smantha grabbed his arm, "I'm warning you now, boy, thing, - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

Molly frowned, who called there niece 'thing'? Arthur nodded to himself, he was going to ask Molly if harry and this Samantha girl could stay with them permanently.

Samantha watched the interaction with slight interest. She liked living with the Gnomes; they were funny people to be around.

Umbridge was smiling, there was a good possibility that with these books they could not only unearth Potter's lies, they could also manage to squeeze a law of legal muggle hunting into place yet.

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly.."**

**"I'm not allowed to live inside anyway" Samantha droned.**

** But Uncle Vernon didn't believe them. No one ever did. The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and Samantha and it was just no good telling the Dursleys they didn't make it happen.**

Everyone leaned forward, excited to hear about their accidental magic.

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar."**

**During all of this, Uncle Vernon had to lock Samantha outside because she somehow managed to make all the animals in the neighborhood attack.**

Many frowned; Samantha sounded a lot like a more relaxed version of Snape.

Snape was noticing the similarities between the two of them, and remembered that once Dumbledore had said that he was a father. He quickly shook his head, it wasn't possible.

**Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

There was a standing ovation at this.

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly. While Samantha was forced to sleep in the yard as much as possible, to make sure she didn't 'kill anybody'.**

If someone had been outside the great hall, they would have had to imagine a beast that could rival Fluffy and eat grawp.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls) - The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished. But Samantha was for setting it aflame.**

Many hissed at how unfair it all was

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.**

"How in the bloody hell did you get up there mate?" Ron asked, frowning

"One word" Samantha replied "magic."

**Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. He remembered fondly Samantha's face as she stared at where he was, not yelling, giving him a questioning look.**

The great hall all laughed as one, imagining someone trying to keep their yells in and still transfer what they were thinking.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard while Samantha watched from the corner)—**

Hermione snarled, she hated the thought of how they were treated, she wanted to help. She glanced at Samantha, was she still depressed? Did she still not like kindness? Could she help? Or would she make it worse? There were too many questions roaring in her mind, and she decided to ask afterwards.

-** was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- jump. But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers (who was too busy trying to seduce Samantha anyway) to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry and Samantha, the council, Harry and Samantha, the bank, and Harry and Samantha were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

Fred raised his eye brows "it wasn't you two for once?"

"It's a miracle Gred!" George replied.

**"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

**Samantha gave him a look of 'why didn't you tell me?' and kicked his shins, a sign that he'd done something that was going to get them yelled at again.**

"Sign?" Siruis asked, frowning as he looked at Harry

"We made up a language of bumps, prods, pokes, and soft kicks" Harry replied "so we could talk without arousing there suspicion."

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache:**

**"MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!" Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream." But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

**Samantha rested her head on his shoulder so he would relax.**

Molly cooed, and Samantha blushed 'there goes my reputation for uncaring' she thought too herself 'right out the window.'

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursley's bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry and Samantha what they wanted before they could hurry them away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop and a small strawberry cone.**

Samantha licked her lips slightly, she loved Strawberries, she just wished she could have more of them.

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond. Harry knew that Samantha knew what he was thinking by the mirth in her eyes as she stared at it.**

Moody watched Samantha with even more interest, was she telepathic?

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time and he could tell Samantha was having fun as well.**

Many frowned; the zoo shouldn't be more fun than hanging with family

**He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him, while Samantha was forced to hold hands with Piers.**

Siuris and Remus growled, they were going to kill that brat. Nobody should be forced to hold hands with someone they didn't even like.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry and Samantha were allowed to finish the first.**

"Allowed, why how generous of them" Ginny deadpanned

"It was very good" Harry quickly amended "very tasty."

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last, and Samantha agreed wholeheartedly.**

Hermione and Ron groaned, what did harry do now? Samantha smiled at them, she was happy that Harry had someone to look out for him; she glanced at Siruis and Remus, and mentally decided that they were good people from what she'd seen so far. She wished she could be closer to Harry, but she had to hide, as a secret weapon. She gave an inaudible sigh, she hated that the only thing she was useful for was as a weapon, not as a teenage girl.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house.**

The people who knew that harry was a parseltoungue nodded; now they understood. Siruis and Remus looked around the room in confusion, what were they nodding about?

Samantha sighed; this was going to be a long chapter, specially with how the people were going to react. She looked around, then looked back to the front, making sure to never linger on one face too long.

**It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and Samantha drew pictures of the lizards, Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon**

"Wow" Ron muttered, awed "that is one big snake."

Many laughed, and the twins yelled "we will corrupt you yet!"

- **'s car and crushed it into a trash can**

"Oh" Ron mumbled, now disappointed "I suppose that's good too"

Samantha noticed they famous Weasley blush overtaking his features.

**but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep. Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"did he just order uncle Vernon?" Samantha asked Harry "man, what a brat"**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away. Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself – no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying**

**to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house. Samantha looked at the snake, and wondered silently why it was couped up, didn't these people understand that some animals should be free?**

Many women held back tears, while the men looked quite ready to try to kill the Dursley's for making a girl think that way.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

**It winked.**

Siruis, understanding immediately because of his Black heritage, turned on Harry and asked "are you a parselmouth?"

Harry gave a shy nod, then went to hide behind Hermione, not wanting to hear the hatred that might come from his voice. Remus and Siruis nodded and silently agreed, they were going to talk to harry after this.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too. Samantha, who had been watching this silent conversation, started drawing right next to harry, to block him from view.**

Samantha nodded, she would always protect harry as much as possible, even though he didn't need it anymore.

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:**

**"I get that all the time."**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

**"Was it warm?" Samantha asked, trying to join the conversation**

"This is just a normal boy and girl talking to snake situation, nothing to see here!" Fred yelled

"Blimey, Harry, how could you not realize how strange that was?" George asked

Harry shrugged his shoulders, he didn't know either.

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump.**

**"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!" Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs, then pushing Samantha down.**

Many boys growled, how could he hit a girl? Did he have no knowledge of the boy code? Or was he just that much of an arse-hole?

**Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor, with Samantha landing on top. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened**

Moody grumbled, Constant Villangance people! The girl seemed to know about what happened, because she whispered something into Potter's ear and he nodded slightly in turn, so softly his magical eye barley caught it. That girl would be an amazing Aurour someday.

**- one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

Everyone (sans Harry and Samantha) leaned forward, anxious to hear about what happened.

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished, Samantha watched with wide eyes as it slithered across the floor.**

They recived a standing ovation for what they had done, causing Umbridge and Snape to frown, the potter brat didn't need to have a bigger ego, thank you!

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits. As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo."**

"That's because he did say it" Harry drawled, and Ginny looked thoughtful, a good snake, who'd a thunk that?

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock. "But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?" The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

"Drama queens" rang through the hall

**But worst of all, for Harry and Samantha at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

Hermione growled, this muggle was a horrible person.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry and Samantha. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"No meals!" Madam Pomfrey screeched "no wonder you're so thin!"

Harry winced, it was Samantha who ate the least, she should be checked up on. But they'd want to know where all the scars and burns came from, and Harry doubted that she would tell them the truth

**Harry and Samantha lay in his dark cupboard much later curled up with Samantha laying on his chest, wishing they had a watch. They didn't know what time it was and they couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, they couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"So you had practice, did you brat!" Snape sneered

Samantha looked up form the way back and mumbled "pot…. Kettle…. Black…. Need I go on?" fortunately, no one heard her

**they'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as they could remember, ever since they'd been a babies and their parents had died in that car crash.**

"Died in a car crash" Remus scoffed "James was the best driver I ever knew."

Samantha smiled, happy to know something about her step-father.

**They couldn't remember being in the car when their parents had died. Sometimes, when they strained there memories during long hours in there cupboard, they came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain onto harry's forehead and Samantha's back.**

"You remember that?" Molly asked harry, eyes showing Horror and pity

"That and much more" harry mumbled

**This, they supposed, was the crash, though they couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. they couldn't remember their parents at all. their aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course they were forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. When they had been younger, Harry and Samantha dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were their only family.**

"Not true" Samantha mumbled "we have many people who care now; we don't have to worry anymore."

Harry, who'd heard, nodded. She was right, but he would never be able to become a carefree child, that was something he just couldn't manage.

**Yet sometimes they thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia, Samantha, and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them all out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look, leaving Samantha frustrated and Harry confused.**

"No one was supposed to bother you" Albus said, frowning "you location was to be kept hidden."

"I bet you Peter had something to do with that" Samantha whispered to harry, who nodded, bloody rat.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang. Samantha sealed her fate by sticking to her brother, something most siblings would never do.**

'I always will' Samantha thought to herself 'he's the most important person in my life after all, except maybe…' she looked at Fred and George for a moment, before mentally shaking herself 'there harry's adopted brothers' she chasiated herself 'you can't love them, no matter what. Get a grip.'

"who wants to read next?" the twins asked, and Professor Mcgonagall raised her hand, and the book levitated to her

**"Chapter 3"** she read **"letters from no one."**


	3. talking and newfound love

**There will be O.C. X Fred X George in this. Just kissing, but if it bothers you, don't read this chapter**

"Actually" Remus interrupted "I think we should take a break, I need to speak to harry now."

Albus nodded "we will eat lunch as well" he replied.

Samantha watched as Siruis and Remus dragged Harry out of the room, and followed with her invisibility choker on, right behind Ron and Hermione.

"Why didn't you tell us you had a sister?" Remus demanded

"She has her reasons" Harry replied "she's been with me the entire time, and yet you didn't notice her, so why should I have brought her up?"

"Because we could have taken her in!" Sirius replied "you and that girl are never going back to the Dursley's, I'd rather fight Merlin then let you stay."

Samantha gave a nod, then walked out of the room, and sat in a small room near the room of requirement.

"oi, Samantha!" a voice said, making her jump, there stood George and Fred weasley, mischievous grins on their freckled faces.

Samantha frowned, not wanting to be too close to them, especially with how something could slip with how happy she was for Harry. Unknown to everyone except harry, Samantha had a crush on the twins, since year 2. She was very good at hiding this type of thing, but you never know.

"You called, tweetledee and tweetledumb" she replied, making sure to sound distant and uncaring.

"Hullo there" Fred started, and George finished

"Why didn't you tell us you are Harry's sister?"

She shrugged her shoulders, and said "never came up."

They exchanged looks, communicating something even Samantha couldn't quite make out, and George started this time "well, that wasn't why we wanted to talk to ya anyway, we got something we need you to tell us."

"Why do you need me to say something?" she asked, suspicious "you aren't going to make me try another one of your pranks are you?"

"Not this time" Fred replied, grinning "we just wanted to know why you staring at us is all? We got something on our snoozes or somthin?"

"Or somthin" she muttered back, keeping a blush back with great difficulty "I gotta get back to the feast before Harry misses me."

She stood up and started to walk back, when George and Fred grabbed her (George got the arms while Fred got the waist) and they all fell down into one big heap. Taking advantage of Samantha's surprise, Fred and George climbed on top, making sure there was no escape.

"Samantha" Fred murmured, leaning in "we've noticed the looks you've been given us. You pretty bloody subtle, but you messed up a few times."

"We want to know just how long you've been hiding this crush of yours" George mumbled, making sure to keep her close

Samantha tried her hardest to not relax. It was hard to keep stiff and uncaring when the people (and yes, she meant people, for she fell in love with both of the twins) she loved were this close. She felt comfortable around them, but she'd rather die than tell them that.

"I have no clue what you're talking about" she retorted, making sure to add anger to her voice "if this is one of your pranks, it's not very funny."

She received glares from Fred and George in turn, and Fred hissed angrily "we would never joke about this!"

George continued, with the same hissing voice "now tell us, for how long?"

Samantha sighed, better to tell them now so that way she could finally move on 'five years" she muttered.

They stared at her, and she sighed again and said "I know, I sound like a psycho stalker or something. Let's just pretend this never happened, all right?"

They didn't move, instead, Fred came down and kissed her on the lips. After a few moments, he pulled back and George did the same.

'We've loved you for a year now" they said together, before Fred said with a smirk "we're just surprised, it's nice to know we're so irresistible."

Samantha rolled her eyes and said "your ego's make great Brittan look small."

George asked "do we tell everyone now… or later?"

"Later" Samantha replied "telling everyone now with how stressed they are now, you wouldn't want to see what would happen."

Fred laughed and said "true, as nice as your godfathers are, they still scare me. Having not only a werewolf and an ex-convict against you would not end well."

They helped Samantha to her feet and she said "I'm going to tell Harry though, you should tell Lee, he wouldn't mind, I'm more worried about what Mrs, Weasley will say."

They headed back o the great hall and sat in their respective areas, where harry turned to her and gave her a questioning look

"The twins found out" she told him "I'm officially dating them."

Harry smiled and said "that's good."

"Now, if all the interruptions are complete, let's get back to exposing Potter's lies" Umbridge said with that sickly sweet voice and everyone looked forward, and wondered what they would find out now.


	4. Letters from no one

**A/N: For those of you confused, all of the books have happened but the major characters like Sirius and the one weasly twin (can't remember which) doesn't die.**

"**CHAPTER THREE: THE LETTERS FROM NO ONE" **Professor McGonagall began, **the escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry and Samantha their longest-ever punishment. By the time they were allowed out of there cupboard again, the summer holidays had started **

"Samantha" Hermione asked, looking at said girl "when is Dudley's birthday?"

"June 28" Samantha replied, and many growled, wanting to rip the Dursley's apart.

-** and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"Spoiled brat" and "Git" echoed around the hall

**Harry and Samantha were glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

"That would be Malfoy's group" Samantha started looking them over "with Goyle as leader."

There were many snorts at this, while Malfoy looked irritable.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport:**

"They played Sports?" Fred asked George, who shrugged

"Let's find out Gred."

**Harry and Samantha Hunting.**

Fred and George growled, finding themselves extremely protective of Samantha. Molly looked horrified that anyone should be put through that, and was crying slightly

Dumbledore had never been more ashamed of himself until then.

**This was why Harry and Samantha spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and talking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school**

"What about Samantha?" Ron asked "where's she going?"

** and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Samantha, who wasn't allowed to go to school, decided that she would follow him to school every day and listen from under the windows.**

"Not allowed?" the ravenclaws shouted as one, and Hermione turned to Samantha

"Can you read then?"

Samantha nodded "I can a little bit, its writing and math I suck at."

Hermione looked horrified, then said "we are going to get you a tutor."

Samantha shrugged it off, she learned how to memorize things so she could rewrite them, she was fine on her own.

** Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"What's so funny?" Ron asked, Harry shrugged

"I don't know what goes through their minds" he replied seriously.

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry and Samantha.**

**"Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

"If he dares touch you" Remus growled, grabbing Harry

"He won't" Harry reassured

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilets never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said, grabbing Samantha's hand on the way out so she wouldn't get hit.**

A standing ovation followed, while Fred and George grinned at Samantha.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry and Samantha at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television while Samantha drew, and gave them a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though**

**she'd had it for several years.**

Remus looked horrified, so Sirius laughed and gave him a chocolate frog, which he gladly accepted.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters.**

The muggle-borns and half-bloods laughed, while the pure-bloods looked confused.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life. As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life.**

"He really needs to get a better life than" Samantha grumbled

**Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins,**

Everyone in the room started laughing, except the twins, who then swore that they would never use that nickname on Ron ever again. Harry, having noticed the looks on their faces, smiled at them slightly. While Ron paled at how close the nicknames were.

- **he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh, while Samantha just slowly shook her head, disgust obvious in her face.**

Many had no restraint now, including harry, who was laughing the loudest.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry and Samantha went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. They went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

"Is her cooking that bad?" Ron asked

"Nah" Harry replied "it would've been much worse if she had been cooking."

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

All of the teachers frowned, was this why Harry never asked questions in class? Is this why Samantha hid herself, or was it just a coincidence?

**"Your new school uniform," she said. Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

**Samantha snorted, but didn't add anything.**

"Smart lass" Remus muttered, looking around, wondering where she was amongst the crowd.

**Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's and Vernon's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." Harry and Samantha seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. they sat down at the table and tried not to think about how they were going to look on their first day at Stonewall High - like they were wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table. They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper, while Samantha's eyes widened in shock, he never told Dudley to do anything!**

Many looked shocked, but no one said anything

**"Make them get it."**

The twins growled softly, that walrus should treat their girl better, or else.

**"Get the mail, Harry, Samantha."**

**"Make Dudley get it."**

"Nice try mate" Ron commented

**"Poke them with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

Molly frowned, if any of her children did that they wouldn't be able to sit for a week. All of the weasley's (even Percy) winced, having been on her knee before, they knew that would be painful, but it was just what that brat needed.

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. four things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and - a letter for Harry and even one for Samantha, who slowly reached out and took hers, looking shocked.**

Many frowned, what's the big deal about a letter? Sure, the Hogwarts letter was something every kid waited for, but they didn't seem to know about magic.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, their hearts twanging like giant elastic bands. No one, ever, in their whole life's, had written to them. Who would? They had no friends, no other relatives –**

"That's so… sad" Hermione mumbled, trying to hold in tears

"That's it" Fred muttered to George "I'm ripping them apart for keeping our girl so secluded."

George nodded, obviously agreeing.

**They didn't belong to the library, so they'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**Mr. H. Potter, and Mrs. S. Evans**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

"Evans" Remus muttered, turning to Sirius "of course! That was Lily's name before she married James! Where is Mrs. Evans now, Professor McGonagall?" he asked hopefully

Professor pointed to a girl in the very back "that's her" she whispered "that must be the girl who lived."

Remus and Sirius turned, to see a girl sitting close, but not to close, to Harry. She turned to look at the ceiling, before finally saying "today was a bad day to wake up."

Harry smiled slightly, before saying "now you know how it feels to be famous, what do you think?"

"Professor" she replied instead, never once looking at Remus or Sirius "please keep reading."

She wondered why she never said anything, but continued none less.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.**

**"Who's Evans?" Samantha asked, pointing at the name**

**"I'm guessing you" he replied "you're the only girl I know who's not a dursley, and we both live in our cupboard."**

**Samantha nodded, and Harry noticed that she had some life in her eyes, maybe she could become happier if this person kept writing.**

"Is that why my letter had to be rewritten so many times?" Professor McGonagall asked

Harry shook his head "no, I didn't touch the letters, other than to hand that one to Samantha."

**"Hurry up, boy, thing!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke, while Samantha got up the energy from somewhere inside of her to roll her eyes.**

The twins looked ready to faint, and quickly and quietly assured themselves that they would soon be back to Harry's witty remarks and Samantha's hidden sense of humor that only they knew off.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter, with Samantha following, obviously hoping for him to read it aloud.**

Many frowned, the girl could barely read, how did she manage to get through school? Snape was watching the newly pointed out girl who lived, who had let her bangs fall into her face as she leaned against her chair. She didn't seem like a brat, but then again, looks may be deceiving. Snape and Moody both decided to watch her for a while, just until they knew what she was really like.

**He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope. Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk. -."**

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

**Samantha looked at Dudley, but didn't say anything, she was used to not being noticed.**

This caused a few girls who knew Samantha to cry, while the men of the Gryffindor room all looked at one another and nodded; no one hurt their sister and got away with it. This caused Professor Mcgongall to look at them strangely, how did they seem to know each other so well? Samantha slept in the female's dorm (or so she thought.)

**Harry was on the point of unfolding their letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"That's theirs!" Sirius snarled, while Harry just shook his head, and muttered

"This was 6 years ago!"

**"That's ours!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"Good, don't take it lying down" Remus muttered, and Snape watched the girl, Samantha, as she did nothing. He wouldn't call her the Evans brat though, that would be rude to Lily. Potter, however, seemed to notice something and was mumbling into her ear.

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it.**

"Can't tell you how many times Ginny wrote to ya" Bill commented "asking marriages and all that"

"Bat bogey hex" Ginny said through gritted teeth "need I say more?"

Bill wisely learned to shut up then.

**His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

**Samantha raised an eyebrow beneath her bangs, was that healthy?**

The great hall burst into laughter, they didn't know Samantha had this side of her, they all were starting to like it, except Malfoy, who was sneering at her.

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!" They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry, Samantha, and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick. While Samantha tried not to wince, doing that would get her a beating, the few she got anyway.**

Everyone (minus the obvious) burst out roaring. Samantha winced, that was proof that they had hurt her, that's not a good thing for them.

Everyone had so much anger pent up, they let loose. Silencing charms were cast, and it took a few minutes for everyone to calm down to hear more, while most growled. Fred and George both wanted to grab her hands so much it was an ache, but they manage to restrain themselves.

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

"Can he even read?" hermoine asked

"Nah, that'd require intelligence, something he clearly lacks" Neville snarled, and Harry told him

"I knew ya had it in you nev."

"**I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's ours."**

"Good" remus muttered "don't take it laying down prongslet."

Harry and Samantha looked at each other, and Samantha mouthed in confusion "prongslet?" Harry shrugged his shoulder, he didn't know either

**"Get out, all of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry and Samantha didn't move.**

"**I WANT OUR LETTER!" he shouted.**

Many winced, they didn't know that Harry Potter had a temper, but they sure did now. They would make sure to never cross it.

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall throwing Samantha out last, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry and Samantha, his glasses dangling from one ear and her bangs in her face, lay flat on their stomachs to listen at** **the crack between door and floor.**

"Better place anyway" Fred said, grinning, and George nodded in agreement

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address - how could they possibly know where they sleep? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

Snape sneered, they had better things to do than watch fools like them

**"Watching - spying - might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"Yeah, we wouldn't both you lot—"

"We've got better things to do, thanks!"

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want -"**

**Harry and Samantha could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer... Yes, that's best... we won't do anything..."**

**"But -"**

**"I'm not having two of their crowd in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took them in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

The silence that followed was chilling. Harry had always thought yelling was much worse than the quiet, but now he was being proved wrong once again. Before anyone could yell however, Samantha levitated the book to her and started reading. If they wanted to yell at her brother they could do it after this chapter.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry and Samantha in there cupboard.**

"How'd he fit?" a first year Gryffindor asked

"He didn't" Harry replied "he just stuck his head in."

**"Where's our letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to us?"**

**Samantha wondered silently whether or not Harry's forwardness was helping the situation any, but said nothing.**

**"No one. it was addressed to you two by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

Every Slytherin (and many others from different houses) gasped; a Hogwarts letter was the most important letter in their lives, who _burns _it?

**"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had our cupboard on it."**

Hermione frowned, _our_ cupboard? That's just plain sad!

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. One, that landed on Samantha's hand, skittered down onto the floor, where it quickly skittered away from uncle Vernon.**

Ron shuddered and gasped, turning on Samantha "it touched you!" he almost squeaked

Samantha shrugged her shoulders, she like all animals, four legged or six legged.

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"I hope it was" Molly muttered, she really wasn't liking this muggle, and had mentally decided to see if she could adopt Samantha and Harry as soon as possible.

Albus frowned; he really had made a foolish mistake.

**"Er - yes, Harry -Samantha- about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you both are really getting a bit big for it... we think it might be nice if you both moved into Dudley's second bedroom."**

"Second room?" Hermione whispered, looking extremely calm

Everyone within 5 feet of her inched away from her

**"Why?" said Harry.**

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle.**

**Harry wanted to yell back, but Samantha prodded his elbow from where she was sitting, the clear sign of "don't pursue this further"**

Sirius sent a grateful glance at Samantha, which she ignored. She wasn't going to mess up Harry's family any more that she had too.

"Thank Merlin, you stopped him" remus muttered

**"Take this stuff upstairs, now." The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms:**

Remus and Sirius counted down from 10 in their minds. It wasn't working.

- **one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry and Samantha one trip upstairs to move everything they owned from the cupboard to this room. **

Many sent them pitying looks, which were pointedly ignored by both.

**He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog;**

"Was the dog okay?" Sirius asked and Harry nodded and replied

"Just a little traumatized."

** in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. Samantha sighed and sat next to him, leaning against his shoulder, he almost instantly relaxed. As far as Harry knew, Samantha was the only person that could calm him down so easily.**

Most of the women in the room cooed, and Samantha and Harry blushed. 'Not quite' she mentally corrected the book, looking at Ginny 'there's someone else I think can do that. I know that there are two people that can do that to me' she gave a secretive smile to the twins, who returned it.

**They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched. From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want them in there... I need that room... make them get out..."**

A chorus of "Git!" rang around the room, from many different sources.

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed, with Samantha curled up next to him. Yesterday they'd have given anything to be up here. Today they'd rather be back in there cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Samantha was slightly happy about this, because every child needs to learn what no means eventually. When she realized she was thinking this and banged her head against a wall the next morning.**

Many people chuckled, while others looked disgusted, stupid Muggle.

Umbridge smiled, they knew just how to treat that lying potter, and newly named potterette. She already was learning to hate the girl.

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall, while Samantha just hoped that she could get more sleep. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

Many frowned, intrigued. It seemed that the girl who lived thought of only basic survival needs, except helping her brother out. This made her seemed almost animal-like.

Samantha shrugged, she really only worried about things that were really bad. Like quirrel and the basilisk. Otherwise, she really only worried about eating, sleeping, bathing, and just plain being alive. She wasn't afraid of death, but she didn't exactly just jump in begging for it either.

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry and Samantha, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted,**

**"There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, Mrs. S. Evans The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive -'" With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry and Samantha right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind, while Samantha punched him in the face.**

"Practicing for Halloween?" Ron asked, and Harry smirked

Albus blanched, he remembered the troll. They couldn't have… could they have? It seemed like something they would do…

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

**"Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry and Samantha.**

**"Dudley - go - just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his new room, while Samantha watched from the bed. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again?**

"of course I would" McGonagall replied briskly "I would do anything possible for the boy and girl who lived."

Samantha groaned inwardly, she was already being included in the name! this was starting to get seriously out of hand!

**And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

Hermione and Ron groaned Harry frowned

"My plans aren't that bad!"

"Yes they are" they replied together, and the argument ended

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry and Samantha turned it off quickly and dressed silently. They mustn't wake the Dursleys. they stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights. they were going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. Their hearts hammered as they crept across the dark hall toward the front door –**

Hermione and Ron both looked surprised, that plan might just work. Samantha snickered silently; her brother wasn't that bad at plans when he had to be!

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat - something alive! Samantha grabbed his arm, the clear sign of "what did you just do!?"**

Everyone laughed, and you could hear the twins chant in the background "be the whale! Be the whale!"

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to their horror they realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face.**

Laughter echoed through the hall. Samantha shook her head slightly; didn't they realize the possible dangers of doing that? She noticed that her robe had slid up a bit, showing off an old burn mark. She pulled the robe back down, not wanting to look at it. Remus, who'd noticed the motion, frowned, was something wrong with her arm?

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry and Samantha didn't do exactly what they'd been trying to do.**

"Paranoid much?" Sirius asked, as Ron said

"And this is where your bad luck comes into play, eh mate?"

Harry thought for a moment, and then said "I think I'm pretty lucky. I've survived this long after all."

Everyone froze, and Samantha sighed "you're not helping them feel better."

Harry replied "it's true though. I've almost died 6 times; I think I'm pretty darn lucky."

"Nine" she murmured to Harry quietly "first year and when we were dueling him after Cedric's death, and when voldemort killed you. You didn't count those."

"I know" harry returned "I don't want them to worry."

**He shouted at Harry and Samantha for about half an hour and then told them to go and make a cup of tea. Harry and Samantha shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time they got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry and Samantha could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

"**I want -" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces beforetheir eyes.**

Sirius growled, and hugged Harry again.

Remus seemed to want to hug Samantha as well as Harry, but she wouldn't let him near her.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot, while Samantha watched with an eyebrow raised under her mop of hair.**

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

"Are you kidding?" Fred asked, George continued

"That's the famous Harry Potter you're talking about! Of course we would try!"

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

Samantha was surprised; Petunia actually had some sense in here did she? That's surprising.

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me,"**

Everyone starting muttering to each other, should they be proud or offended by that thought? They settled on a mixture of both.

**- said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him. On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. **

**After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises. On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. **

**Twenty-four letters to Harry and Samantha found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain too. Harry was at a loss, why did they keep writing?**

"I wonder why?" Ginny muttered sarcastically "you're only famous."

Everyone laughed at this, while Harry grumbled incoherent words.

** Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you two this badly?" Dudley asked Harry and Samantha in amazement.**

"I did!" called three-fourths of the great hall, causing Harry to blush and Samantha to hide behind her bangs. Sirius and Remus took note of this; they wanted to know everything about their newly named step-daughter.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy. Samantha tensed, this couldn't be good.**

"My thoughts exactly" Remus muttered "Merlin! Harry, Samantha, how did you survive there?"

"Very carefully" Harry replied.

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today -" Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one, while Samantha lazily watched, what point was jumping in the air when she knew she wouldn't be able to grab one anyway?**

Most of the hall silently agreed, while Dumbledore grinned and praised "you are very creative, Minerva. Good job."

**"Out! OUT!" Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall, before Samantha came tumbling after.**

There were many growls at this, and Fred and George both wanted to grab Samantha's hands and hug her close.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and** **computer in his sports bag. Samantha had nothing to pack, only a few pairs of clothes that she could fit in her pocket, so she didn't need or ask for a bag.**

Many laughed and frowned, the brat may have gotten what he deserved but Samantha deserved so much more than she already had.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

**"Shake'em off... shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this. They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry,** **he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer. Samantha figured it was a good thing for him to know hunger, he would probably experience it in the future after all, but for most of the drive, however, she was sleeping against Harry's arm.**

Many awws went through the crowd (you can probably guess who) and Moody saw that Samantha blushed at this. her bangs were in some serious use today, and probably for the next few weeks while the read the books.

A sudden, lurking feeling settled into her gut. Reading the books meant that soon they'd find out that Snape was her father! This wasn't going to go well…

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley, Samantha, and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering while Samantha blankly watched the cars roll by...**

**Molly frowned. That's wasn't a very good place for children to stay! They should have at least given Harry and Samantha separate beds!**

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for** **breakfast the next day, while Samantha nibbled on a piece of bread she'd snuck with them.**

**Remus exploded "a piece of bread! That's not a fitting meal for a growing child!"**

**Sirius lightly pulled him back down into his seat, murmuring about how they would murder the Dursley's later.**

**They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.  
"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter or a Ms. S. Evans? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address: Mr. H. Potter and Ms. S. Evans **

**Room 17  
Railview Hote  
Cokeworth  
Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared. Samantha flipped her off under the table, before poking Harry in the ribs. If they'd tried this desperately to reach them, they would find a way yet.**

**"Bloody right she is." Ron agreed "they wouldn't let the famous Harry potter get away!"**

**He recoiled slightly at Harry's glare, but didn't take back what he said.**

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

**"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested. Samantha silently agreed, but she would never say it aloud.**

**Fred and George whistled "who would have thought-"**

**"That the horse actually had some sense in her!"**

**Timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.**

**"Why am I not surprised?"**

**Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked** **Aunt Petunia dully late that  
afternoon.**

**"I hope so" Samantha muttered under her breath "that way he can be taken far, ****_far_**** away from me."**

**She reached up and touched one of the many burn scars covering the right side of her face. She hated Vernon, she always had and always will.**

**Samantha quickly covered the right side of her face with her hair, not wanting anyone to see how disgusting her face was. She glared with her one uncovered eye at anyone who looked her way.**

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared. It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.  
"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television. " **

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week,**

**Everyone in the hall gasped, and a random student could be heard yelling "it's the apocalypse!"**

**because of television.**

**Everyone sighed in relief. The world would be okay. Umbridge sniffed from where she was sitting. How could they disrespect such a good child that way?**

**Then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's and eleventh birthday, and Samantha's twelfth**.

**Of course, there birthdays were never exactly fun - last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks, while Samantha was sarcastically given a beauty kit, something she later burned.**

**Fred and George nodded at each other. The next break they took they'd talk to Samantha about her face, and about the fact she was truly beautiful.**

**Still, you weren't eleven or twelve every day.**

**Arthur smiled. It was nice to see that Harry was such an optimistic lad.**

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling, which made Samantha cringe. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought**, **which put Samantha even more on edge than she had been by his return.**

Everyone stiffened, while the muggle-borns all glanced nervously at each other. That couldn't be what they thought it was…. Could it?

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"  
It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain; there was no television in there. Something Samantha would have laughed at if she had the energy to do so.**

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. Samantha was too tired to speak any witty comments, she instead leaned next to harry, trying not to fall asleep.**

**"And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his  
boat!" **

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

"Yep, a perfect gentleman," the twins reasoned.

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"  
It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their  
necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like  
hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

**Fred and George clenched their fists. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. What they didn't realize was that Sirius and Remus were doing the exact same thing.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind  
whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms. Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas, none of which Samantha got.**

**Madam Pomfrey had never written so much onto a sheet of paper as she had before now.**

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully. Making Samantha slump against harry, evey part of her exhausted by today's events.**

**Everyone (besides the obvious) frowned, angry at the whale.**

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

"Everyone's favorite pessimist," Hermione said lovingly, making Harry glare non-angrily, and Samantha laugh.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa.**

**She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Samantha an Harry were left to find the softest bit of floor they could and curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket together.**

**Molly gritted her teeth. While she didn't like violence, she'd let her children have an exception on this one.**

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, rolling into Samantha's sleeping embrace, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time.**

**"Hey, Samantha" he shook her awake "know what today is?"**

**"Your birthday." She yawned sleepily "sorry, I don't have a present. If I did I give it to ya."**

**"That's okay; just keep awake for the countdown with me."**

Remus and Sirius glanced at each other and nodded. They were going to swamp the kids with presents as soon as possible.

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.**

Ginny ruffled Harry's hair playfully, "Oh, little pessimist." Samantha smiled at the display, but said nothing.

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow, and it wouldn't surprise him in Samantha picked one up at some point.**

"Very Slytherin of you," Draco commented.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"The first and last," he called across the hall. Samantha was surprised, like everyone else. Who knew draco was able to give a compliments?

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea? One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty ... ten... nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up,**

The twins started whistling and cheering, pleading Harry to do it. Samantha smiled, her twin terrors were such nitwits.

**Just to annoy him - three... two... one... BOOM**

Many winced, rubbing their ears.

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, Samantha beside him, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"he-hem" Umbridge's sugary sweet voice broke the happiness in the air "I will be reading the next chapter."

Harry growled softly, and fingered the 'I will not tell lies' scar on his hand. He hoped she'd get transfigured into a toad.


End file.
